As bad as Gerrit Cole was in his last outing, that’s how good he was against the Guardians on Sunday.
The Yankees, perhaps buoyed by their ace’s renewed dominance, got contributions up and down their lineup and cruised to a series-sweeping 10-2 victory over Cleveland before 39,050 at Yankee Stadium.
Cole threw 6 2/3 shutout innings, Anthony Rizzo, DJ LeMahieu and Tim Locastro hit two-run home runs, Joey Gallo picked up his first extra-base hit and RBI in the season’s 16th game, and every Yankees player reached base at least once — even Marwin Gonzalez and Locastro, both of whom entered late.
The Yankees (10-6) hadn’t scored more than six runs in a game this season, and that only came with the help of two extra innings and ghost runners on Opening Day. They banged out a season-high 13 hits.
The good feelings all started with the starter. Cole (1-0, 4.00 ERA) allowed four hits, walked one and struck out nine. He threw 92 pitches.
In his previous outing on Tuesday in Detroit, Cole walked five and was pulled after 1 2/3 innings in a game the Yankees eventually won.
Manager Aaron Boone paired Cole on Sunday with Jose Trevino instead of his personal catcher Kyle Higashioka.
Whether that had anything to do with it, Cole was sharp from the get-go. He opened the game by striking out Myles Straw on a 98-mile per hour fastball. Three batters later, he did exactly the same to Josh Naylor to end the inning.
Overall, Cole struck out five Guardians on fastballs, three on curves and one on a cutter.
Cole had a lead three batters into the bottom of the first. Aaron Judge doubled with one out and Rizzo golfed a low curve from Aaron Civale (0-2, 9.58 ERA) into the rightfield seats for his fifth home run.
LeMahieu (3-for-4, three RBIs, 11-game hitting streak) doubled home a run in the second on a ball that was misjudged by rightfielder Oscar Mercado.
The Yankees scored three in the third to make it 6-0. Aaron Hicks dropped a pop fly into very short center with the bases loaded to score the first run as Straw got a forceout at second.
Gallo, who came into the game batting .136, followed with a bullet double into the rightfield corner to make it 5-0. Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a sacrifice fly to left to give the Yankees a six-run cushion.
LeMahieu hit a two-run shot to left, his second home run of the season, off lefthander Kirk McCarty in the sixth. McCarty pitched the final three innings in his big-league debut.
Boone removed Cole after a single by Owen Miller with two outs in the seventh. Cole walked off to a standing ovation and touched his cap in response.
One day after Nestor Cortes became the first Yankees starter to get an out in the seventh inning, Cole did him one out better.
Gonzalez singled for his first Yankees hit in the eighth and Locastro — pinch hitting for Judge — followed with a two-run homer to left to make it 10-0.
Former Met Andres Gimenez hit a two-out, two-run triple off Ron Marinaccio in the ninth to spoil the Yankees’ shutout bid.
